Fu Hengzhi: "I haven't been feeling well at night lately"
Zhou Zhou: You don't sleepwalk?
Fu Hengzhi: I haven't been feeling well lately, especially at night.
I updated! I updated!
Chapter Twenty-Seven: Mr. Fu Took the Medicine
After lunch, Zhou Zhou didn't take a nap. Instead, she organized her thoughts, and her long, slender, fair hands danced across the keyboard as she typed a new chapter of "The Stars We Chased Back Then":
I had a period of low self-esteem. During the ten-minute break between classes, while boys my age would argue about which Ultraman to dress up as, I would secretly read a bilingual classical Chinese novel.
Watching them laugh and play, I often lament that I am out of place with them because I am not young enough.
Until I met him, I was nine years old that year. Because I didn't have my access card, I couldn't get on the elevator, so I sat downstairs waiting for my parents.
I remember it was a very sunny day. He walked up to me with a parasol, squatted down, looked at me, smiled, and said:
"Why don't you go upstairs? Reading in the sunlight is bad for your eyes."
His smile was as bright as the sunshine at that time, but I was wary of him.
But I know he is also a resident of this building and often appears on various TV talk shows. He is witty and humorous, and can be considered a semi-celebrity.
Just when I thought he was about to leave, he casually sat down next to me and used his six-ribbed parasol to shield me from the glaring sunlight.
He looked at my book very intently and asked me, "Do you know what this sentence means?"
"Good people always make friends with other good people, and bad people always hang out with other bad people," I answered truthfully.
He laughed, and using this as an opportunity, he told me a lot of profound truths, and also told me that a gentleman is open and honest.
I understood, and before leaving, I asked, "Will I ever see you again?"
"Yes, we can." His smile was as bright as a gentle breeze. "If we're meant to be, we'll meet again."
After that, every time he appeared on a talk show, I would diligently take notes in front of the TV, recording every single detail.
I often stroll slowly downstairs, hoping to meet him again.
Fate has not been deceiving me. Through winter and summer, I saw him coming from afar, smiling, greeting every passerby.
With ten meters to go, I took a step forward, but four people beat me to it and pinned him to the ground.
"Don't move! We're from the Municipal Public Security Bureau. You've been reported by concerned citizens for molesting and disrespecting women. Please come with us!"
I stood there, stunned, unable to recover for a long time.
I couldn't accept this cruel fact. Later I found out that he often lifted women's skirts to check if they were wearing leggings, and he even had the audacity to call it that.
"Let's see if you can guard against a gentleman."
It was only later that I learned that the reason we met was because of that day.
He didn't bring his access card either.
...
After Zhou Zhou finished writing the article, he spent a long time thinking about it, and his neck started to ache from sitting for so long.
I glanced at the time; there was still more than an hour until lunchtime. When I bought the medicine at noon, the pharmacist told me that it needed to be decocted for more than 60 minutes to fully exert its medicinal properties, and now it was just the right time.
Zhou Zhou left the bedroom and went downstairs to the kitchen, where Aunt Feng had just tied on her apron and was getting ready to start cooking.
"Aunt Feng, do you have a clay pot? I'll start brewing the herbs." Zhou Zhou opened the herbal medicine packet and carefully scooped the herbs into a bowl according to the dosage given by the pharmacist.
"Yes, yes." Aunt Feng took out a clay pot from the cupboard and placed it on the stove, looking at Zhou Zhou's thoughtful appearance with a sense of relief.
"Xiao Zhou, seeing how much you care about Hengzhi makes me feel like I'm dreaming."
"Hey, what's the big deal..." Zhou Zhou poured water and turned on the stove, smiling as he looked at Aunt Feng—who was holding a large kitchen knife—swallowed hard, and said with a dry laugh, "If he's doing well, I'm doing well too."
Fu Hengzhi's sleepwalking is a ticking time bomb. Last night he sleepwalked into my room, and who knows what will happen tonight? Although their relationship has improved now, given the original owner's past behavior, who knows how many times he must have offended him. What if Fu Hengzhi takes his anger out on me in his sleep...
Zhou Zhou shuddered, unable to imagine what would happen next. The two of them hadn't lived together before, but now the crisis had landed on his head.
There was still some time before the medicine was ready, so Zhou Zhou sat in the living room reading the novel reviews from netizens. They were all negative reviews, and some even used donations to leave custom comments in order to mock him more.
Birds of a feather flock together. Why would you want to become friends with someone of a different age?
--Because neither of them brought their access cards, hahaha.
- Reading bilingual classical Chinese classics in traditional characters at the age of nine, you're definitely the king of classics in our time!
- The author really loves to show off. I can't stand it, so I'm sending you a bouquet of flowers in the hope that you'll keep up the good work.
--Damn! What's going on with this tip? I hadn't finished editing it yet, and I posted it too quickly.
Don't let me find any dirt on you about disrespecting women!
Zhou Zhou remained unmoved by the comments, but couldn't help but smile.
Hehe, I've made another fortune.
'bite--'
Zhou Zhou casually answered the landline next to him.
Hello, who is this?
A clear, crisp voice came through the receiver, with a hint of amusement in its tone.
What's making you so happy?
Fu Hengzhi rubbed his temples. After a busy day, he still had a stack of paper contracts in front of him waiting to be reviewed. He had to be meticulous and personally handle the contracts.
Zhou Zhou's smile froze. She blinked, not expecting Fu Hengzhi to call at this hour. Instead of answering his question, she asked him in return:
Why are you calling back at this hour?
"Tell Aunt Feng I won't be home for dinner." Fu Hengzhi paused, then added, "I might not be staying at home tonight either."
Zhou Zhou raised her voice and noticed the weariness in Fu Hengzhi's voice. She quickly said with concern, "It's almost the end of the month. The company is busy. Don't forget to rest and don't put too much pressure on yourself." Zhou Zhou always kept this in mind, as stress is one of the triggers for sleepwalking.
"Yes, I will." Hearing the other person's concern for him, Fu Hengzhi suddenly found the documents and contracts on the table much more pleasing to the eye.
The clay pot in the kitchen was bubbling with steam, and the aroma of Chinese medicine wafted into the living room. Zhou Zhou suddenly remembered that the medicine was already being decocted and needed to be drunk while it was hot. Fu Hengzhi wasn't home, so who would drink the medicine? One dose was quite expensive, and if it was decocted again tomorrow, the medicine wouldn't be as effective.
In an instant, Zhou Zhou's mind raced, and a brilliant idea came to him.
"Mr. Fu, you haven't eaten yet, have you?" If the mountain won't come to me, I'll come to the mountain.
"No." Fu Hengzhi didn't care, especially since it wasn't mealtime yet.
"Shall I bring you food? And maybe some medicine while I'm at it, and also check on how your office romance is going?"
Zhou Zhou was busy calculating her plans, but there was no response from the other end of the phone.
Fu Hengzhi held his phone in silence, not expecting the other party to be so proactive. After a moment's hesitation, he agreed.
"...Come on over, I'll find a driver to take you."
"Okay!" Zhou Zhou happily took off after receiving a positive response.
After dinner, carrying the dinner box given to me by Aunt Feng and the thermos containing medicine, I got into the Fu family's car.
It was the first time that driver Uncle Zhao had taken Zhou Zhou to Fu's company, and he was a little surprised, but he couldn't say anything.
Upon arriving at his destination, Zhou Zhou hesitated to go in, seeing the security guard at the entrance.
After all, the scene of his career being blocked is still fresh in his mind, and he doesn't know if Fu's company has any back doors to go through.
After receiving Zhou Zhou's call, Fu Hengzhi asked Secretary He to meet him at the door.
Secretary He's reaction was almost identical to the driver's, but with a hint of anticipation. Having worked alongside President Fu for so long, she had never actually met President Fu's wife in person, except for photos on Weibo.
Fu Hengzhi hung up the call with his secretary, looked at the contract spread out on the table, but couldn't concentrate, so he simply closed it and put it aside.
He got up, looked around the office, walked around twice, straightened the suit he had carelessly tossed on the sofa and hung it back on the hanger, and then arranged the green plants in front of the French windows more neatly.
After doing all this, Fu Hengzhi had no idea what he was doing. The other party had just come to deliver food, so why was he tidying up all this?
"How utterly foolish!" Fu Hengzhi stood up solemnly, his gaze fixed on the open window, pausing for five seconds.
I couldn't resist peeking out.
Have you picked them up yet? Why aren't they coming up?
Zhou Zhou stood at the company entrance carrying a food box, her casual attire clashing with the imposing and elite CDB building.
Looking up at the towering skyscraper that seemed to stretch endlessly, Zhou Zhou, who had lived in a villa worth hundreds of millions but was still just an ordinary person, felt a surge of rage within him.
Holy crap, how do you prove to outsiders that the Fu family is incredibly wealthy? The answer: Point to an entire commercial building and tell them, "This family is surnamed Fu."
Zhou Zhou tried to keep her facial expression steady and shifted her attention back to the security guard at the door.
Before Secretary He even reached the door, he first saw the handsome man standing outside. The gray casual shirt accentuated his youthful charm, and his aura was even more striking than in the photos—clear, handsome, and refined.
Zhou Zhou also noticed Secretary He walking in this direction and smiled slightly.
"Hello, Mr. Zhou, I am Mr. Fu's secretary, my name is He Qingqing." He Qingqing was very mindful of the occasion. She was the only employee in the company who knew about Mr. Fu's marriage, so she could not address him as "Mrs." in public.
"Hello." Zhou Zhou shook hands with her gently and smiled, "I've troubled you with so many things in the past."
"Of course." He Qingqing smiled politely and led him to the president's private elevator.
Elevator access is by card swipe; only company management and the president's secretary have access cards.
The two had nothing to say to each other, and in the cramped elevator space, they were both secretly sizing each other up.
The more Zhou looked at He Qingqing, the more reliable the idea of an office romance seemed. With her looks, figure, and temperament, how could Fu Hengzhi not have any feelings for her when she was around him every day?
He Qingqing had dealt with all sorts of messes in Zhou Zhou's entertainment industry. Originally, she only knew him through a photograph, but when she met him in person, it was like seeing the sun after the clouds had parted.
It's probably because he's handsome and a perfect match for the CEO.
He Qingqing simply didn't even go into the office. She dropped Zhou Zhou off at the office door and then made an excuse to contact a client, leaving the couple alone.
Zhou Zhou pushed open the door and entered, seeing Fu Hengzhi hurriedly closing the window.
Fu Hengzhi felt awkward. He cleared his throat twice and pretended to frown, saying, "Why didn't you knock?"
"..." Could Zhou Zhou say he forgot? "Sorry."
Seeing that the other party seemed about to back out and start over, Fu Hengzhi quickly stopped him.